Infusion bag



J. P. WHELAN July 21, 1959 INFUSION BAG Filed Sept. 14, 1956 FIG.4

FIG.6

INVENTOR. dame; p l l/he/qn BY 0 +ML @Awuclv AT TORNE Y United States Patent INFUSION BAG James P. Whelan, Quincy, Mass, assignor to Pneumatic Scale Corporation, Limited, Quincy, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 14, 1956, Serial No. 609,902

1 Claim. (Cl. 206-.5)

This invention relates to an infusion bag.

The invention has for an object to provide a novel and improved infusion bag having a handle for the bag which is characterized by novel and improved structure which enables the handle to be detachably secured to the bag for packaging purposes and to be readily detached therefrom when the bag is to be used.

With this general object in view and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the infusion bag hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claim at the end of this specification.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the present invention:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation illustrating the present tag in an open position, the handle being attached to one leaf thereof;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the tag with the end of the handle secured between the leaves and with the adhesive coating exposed within the cut portion;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the tag secured through the cutout portion to an infusion bag and with the handle folded along one edge of the bag;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the infusion bag and tag secured thereto;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the tag detached from the bag with the handle extended; and

Fig. 6 is a side view of a modified form of tag having an L-shaped cutout portion.

In general the present invention contemplates a novel and improved infusion bag having a handle for the bag. The invention consists in the novel structure of the bag whereby the handle is detachably secured to the bag and may easily be detached therefrom.

The bag comprises a thin porous bag containing a body of infusing material having its top edge and side edges secured together. The bag is of the character of bag illustrated and described in United States patent to Howard, No. 2,634,903, dated December 12, 1944. Reference may be made to said patent for a more complete description of the bag and its method of manufacture. A handle is provided for the bag which comprises a fibrous strip secured at one end to a tag and at its other end to the bag. Provision is made for detachably securing the tag to the bag and for enabling the same to be readily detached therefrom without causing damage to the bag.

Referring now to the drawings, 10 represents the present infusion bag having its top edge 12 and side edges 14, 16 secured together. Preferably, the edges 12, 14 and 16 may be secured together by heat sealing the same. The bag contains a body of infusing material 18 which may comprise tea or coffee or a like material. The bag is provided with a handle which comprises a thin fibrous strip 20 secured at one end to a tag 22 and at its other end to the bag 10. In practice the handle is utilized to suspend the bag in the boiling or very hot water following usual practice. For shipment a plurality of bags are packed in a container, and during the packing the handles are likely to become entangled, thereby making it difiicult for the consumer to separate individual bags for use. In accordance with the present invention provision is made for detachably securing the tag to the bag in a novel manner so that the tag will remain in its attached position during packing and shipment to prevent entanglement of the handles and which will permit the tag to be readily removed from the bag without causing damage thereto when the bag is to be used.

The tag 22 comprises a pair of similar leaves 24, 26 which may and preferably will be hinged together at 28. One surface 30 of each leaf is preferably coated with a thermoplastic material to enable the leaves to be secured together. While in the preferred form of the invention the coating consists of a thermoplastic material, any suitable adhesive may be used. In order to enable the tag 22 to be detachably secured to the bag a cutout portion 32 is provided in leaf 24 as shown. In this manner the coated surface 30 of leaf 26 is exposed through the cut out portion 32. The tag 22 is secured preferably to the double thickness marginal edge 12 of the bag 10 by applying the edge of the bag to the adhesively coated surface 30 of leaf 26 through cutout portion 32 as best shown in Fig. 3. In practice cutout portion 32 will be preferably relatively small so that the area of adhesion of the bag to the tag will be suflicient to maintain the tag and bag in attached relation and while permitting the tag to be easily detached therefrom. The intermediate portion of fibrous strip 20 may be folded upon itself as shown in Fig. 3.

In a modified form of the present invention, instead of the structure of tag shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the structure illustrated in Fig. 6 may be used wherein the tag 40 comprises a pair of leaves 42, 44 provided with an L-shaped cutout portion 46 adjacent one corner thereof. 0ne surface of each of the leaves is preferably coated with a thermoplastic material and such surfaces superimposed upon and secured together as shown. The adhesive exposed by the L-shaped cutout portion secures the tag to the bag in a manner similar to the structure shown in Fig. 3. One end of an elongated fibrous strip 48 is preferably secured between leaves 42, 44 along one edge 50 of the tag 40.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the present invention provides a novel and improved infusion bag which may be neatly and compactly packaged so that the handle portions of the packaged bags will remain in fixed relation to their respective bags whereby entanglement thereof may be substantially eliminated. It will be apparent that the relatively small area of adhesion of the double thickness edge of the bag to the adhesively coated surface of the tag leaf enables the tag to be easily removed from the bag without causing damage to the bag.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

An article of manufacture comprising an infusion bag containing an infusion material said bag being formed of a thin porous bag material folded upon itself and adhesively secured together along its open edges, and a handle for the bag comprising a thin fibrous strip and a tag, said strip being secured to and extended from one marginal edge of the bag, said tag comprising a pair of leaves having an adhesive layer therebetween and folded upon and adhesively secured to the extended end of the strip along a marginal edge of the tag aligned with said one marginal edge of the bag, one of said leaves having a relatively small opening therein adjacent a marginal edge arranged at right angles to said first marginal edge and exposing a small bonding area of adhesive on its opposing leaf, the extended length of the strip being folded upon itself along said one marginal edge of the bag, said tag being disposed at the corner of the bag defined by said one edge and the edge at right angles thereto and adhesively secured to a two-ply sealed edge 3 4 portion-of the-right angle edge -of the bag by adherence References Cited in the file of this .patent thereof to the bonding area exposed by said opening, an edge of the tag overlying and confining a portion of the UNITED STATES PATENTS folded=strip to prevent entanglement of ihe rhandle 1,658,263 Stanley b, 7, 1923 the handles of similar bags packed in a container, said 5 2,13 ,779 Roehrl J 30 1940 bonded area :provided .a temporary frangible :anchorage 5 71 sidebotham Sept 5 1944 which maybe readily broken 'to detach'the tag andexten T 2,799,392 Lynch July 16 1957 the-strip for use. 

